by Wendy Smith
“Give me your phone, and when they text I’ll go and get them.”
I nod and make my way into the kitchen where my phone sits on the bench. Firing off a quick text to Xander to let him know Hunter’s picking him up, I take it back to the living room and hand it to Hunter.
He stands, and I can’t get over this more grown up version of him. He’s undergone a transformation since I’ve been gone and looks like solid muscle. And then there’s the thick beard which suits him. And despite him saying he’s changed, I know his heart. It’s good, and I know he’ll do everything he can to keep my boys safe—to keep Scott’s boys safe.
I do trust him.
“Thank you. For everything.”
He nods. “We’ll be fine. Go and get some rest.”
I close my eyes as he wraps his arms around me and gives me a hug.
Maybe I feel a bit helpless when I’m a mess of emotions, but Hunter centres me.
His friendship means the world.
Eight
Hunter
Seeing Chloe like that rips me apart.
It’s clear she’s still hurting so much. And I understand it. Those two had a love most people will never find in a lifetime. The loss of that must have been devastating.
It was like second nature to take her in my arms and look after her. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
She’s gone for about an hour when the phone pings. I’ve been working out what to cook for dinner, but she’s filled the pantry, fridge and freezer, so putting together a meal is pretty simple. I’m sure the boys won’t care as long as it’s food.
Xander: Hunter’s picking us up? Is everything okay? We’re ready.
I smile and pick up Chloe’s car keys from the bench. There’s no point taking my car when I can use hers. I can’t imagine either of those boys will want to climb into the back seat in my coupe.
Locking the house, I walk into the sunshine and to her car in the driveway. I’m glad I decided to work from home for a while. Liz is dealing with Gary and helping him get help, and I’m better off out of it. She’s got things running like clockwork anyway, and that suits me.
It’s not a long drive to the school, but coming here takes me back every time.
“When I get to Auckland …”
“You’re so selfish,” I mutter.
“What?”
“It’s all ‘I’ and ‘me’. Chloe’s going with you too. Do any of your plans include her?”
He narrows his eyes. “You know they do.”
“Doesn’t sound like it.”
“Dude. What is your problem?” He laughs, but it sounds nervous.
“All your plans centre around you. Chloe has needs too. Are you even thinking about that?”
His brow furrows. “Of all people, you know I am. All the time. What the hell is your …”
It’s like a lightbulb goes off over his head. “You like her.”
“She’s my best friend’s girlfriend. Of course I do.”
“No. It’s more than that.” Scott always knew me so well. I have no idea how he never worked it out before. “Shit. You’ve got the hots for her.”
I don’t say anything. I can’t deny it. I’ve been in love with Chloe since the summer of my sixteenth year, when I got dumped by a girl whose name I can’t even remember now, and she was there for me.
“Scott—”
Anger flares across his face. “When I say ‘I’, I mean ‘we’. Chloe and I might as well be one person. I’m going to marry her, Hunter, and we’re going to have a family and a life far from here. Far from you.”
He shakes his head as he walks away. I’m sure he’ll calm down.
But he didn’t. He guarded that relationship as the most precious thing he ever had, and it was. I’m not sure it was even healthy for him to be so possessive of her. But their relationship was their business, and I didn’t pursue it after they left.
I wish I had. I wish I’d had the chance to talk things out with him before he died. We were just kids when it happened with no real idea about what the future would bring.
And now all these years later, Chloe’s the one back in my life. Along with the two boys walking toward the car who look so much like their father. At least I can tell them apart, as Xander’s in his rugby gear.
“Hey. What’s going on?” Xander asks.
“Your mum wasn’t feeling well, so I’m picking you up and then cooking dinner.”
His eyebrows rise. “Is she okay?”
“She’ll be fine. She just needs some rest.”
I pop the boot so they can put their bags away, and Xander glares at Braden until he steps back and lets him in the front seat.
“So, what’s wrong with Mum?” Xander asks.
With them buckled in, I start the car. “She got a bit upset today thinking about your dad.”
He frowns. “That hasn’t happened for a while.”
“How bad was it?” I ask.
He hesitates.
“Really bad.” Braden speaks from the back seat. “She cried all the time and tried to hide it from us. But we could see it.”
“She stopped eating.” Xander’s voice makes me turn my head toward him. “Grandma still gives her shit about how thin she is.”
“Our other grandma doesn’t really like Mum anymore,” Braden says.
“What? She loved Chloe when we were growing up.”
“Not anymore. She tries to bully Mum, but Mum’s really good at telling her to back off.” Xander’s voice has a tinge of pride when he says it.
I don’t know how to process this. It’s been a long time since we were all kids hanging out at each other’s homes, and I spent a lot of time at both Scott’s place and Chloe’s with my parents split. Both sets of parents were equally caring, and as Chloe’s parents adored Scott, Scott’s parents adored Chloe.
What the hell happened?
Slipping the car into gear, I indicate and pull out.
“You’re the first person other than Uncle Caleb to pick us up from school. Mum must trust you,” Braden says.
I nod. “I had to talk her into it, but we’re good.”
“Why do you have her car?”
I chuckle. These two are a lot like their father, always full of questions. It’s what would have made Scott a good lawyer.
“She doesn’t know I have it. I figured you’d prefer to be able to get in easy rather than one of you squeeze into the backseat of mine. Neither of you are exactly short.”
Braden snorts with laughter.
We ride the rest of the way in silence, but it’s not uncomfortable. Both boys have opened up their world to me, and I can’t take that for granted. It’ll be essential for any ongoing relationship with Chloe.
And if she can lean on me when she needs to, I’m only too happy to do it.
I’ll be the rock she needs.
Xander looks around the room as we step into the kitchen.
The vegetables are all set out ready for me to cut up and cook, and the meat’s defrosting in a bowl of water.
“We can cook dinner,” he says.
“I told your mother I would. Besides, I’m glad we get to spend some time together. I’ll answer your questions about your dad, and you can tell me all about your lives.”
Braden shrugs. “There’s not much to tell.”
“Really?” I smile at the sight of Xander picking up the potato peeler. “Didn’t you go and live in the UK for a while?”
Braden nods. “Yeah, when we were little. And then we came back when we were about ten.”
“That’ll be why you don’t have much of an English accent.”
“Braden had one way stronger than me,” Xander says. “Dad used to say it made it easier to tell us apart.”
I laugh. “Today, it was easy. I’m not sure about any other day of the week.”
“You’ll get used to us.” Braden laughs.
The boys go into the living room once everything’s cooking, and turn on the television. I swi
tch between the two rooms, keeping an eye on dinner, while slowly making progress with them. Braden’s more open than Xander, but both of them ask me questions and I answer as best I can.
I reach the point of the meal where I start cooking the steak, and they both walk in as the scent fills the room.
“I hope you two like steak. She said you ate just about anything, and I noticed there was a lot in the freezer.” The pan sizzles as I flip over the meat.
“Yeah. Smells amazing.” Braden approaches. “Dad never cooked for us. Mum said he was terrible.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, he was never very good. We did home economics lessons like everyone else, and Scott was smart at everything else except for cooking.”
Braden grins. “We used to beg Mum to have a night out because we knew Dad would buy takeaways.”
“That sounds like Scott. Let me guess … Pepperoni pizza?”
Even Xander cracks a smile. “That was his favourite.”
“And no pineapple under any circumstances.” Braden laughs.
“I agree with him there.” I shake the other pan full of crispy potatoes. “You guys hungry?”
“Starving,” Braden says.
“Well, wash up and take a seat, and I’ll serve this up.”
The two of them disappear out of the kitchen, and I breathe a sigh of relief. I meant what I said to Chloe about being there for her whenever she needs me, but I wasn’t sure how the boys would receive this. It’s one thing to be sharing a coffee with their mother. It’s quite another to take over the kitchen and cook dinner. But they seem to have taken it in their stride.
Being accepted by them is really important to me.
I open a couple of cupboards before finding the dinner plates, and pull four out. Spreading them on the kitchen bench, I place a generous helping of steamed mixed vegetables, crispy potatoes, and a lovely piece of scotch fillet on each.
It’s not as good reheated, but I want to make sure there’s a meal for Chloe when she does wake up.
The boys reappear, and I nod toward the table. “I’ll serve this up in a second.”
With Chloe’s plate stored in the fridge, I place a meal in front of each boy before sitting at the table with them.
“This looks so good,” Braden says.
“I don’t think I’m too bad a cook. I’ve had years of practice.”
The two of them start eating, and you’d think they hadn’t eaten for years.
“You two remind me a lot of your dad. He ate like that too.” I chuckle.
Braden grins. “Mum says we have hollow legs.”
“When we were kids, we’d go and get a big feed of fish and chips. Chloe would eat like a sparrow, and maybe have half a piece of fish and a handful of chips. Scott would make sure she’d had enough and then demolish the rest of it. I have no idea where he put it.”
Braden laughs before taking another bite, and Xander eyes me warily. He’s still eating, so at least he trusts me enough for that.
“How long did you know my dad?” Xander asks.
I draw in a deep breath. “We started school around the same time. So, when we were five. I was there when he met your mother. That was a few years later.”
He’s quiet for a moment. “You didn’t stay friends with him.”
I swallow down the hurt that hits me. While I was sure they’d have questions about how we could be such good friends and yet never see each other, this is hard.
“We had a falling out before he went to university. It was just some stupid teenage thing that got blown out of all proportion.” I take in a deep breath. “I’ll always regret we didn’t patch things up before he died. But he and your mum moved away and never came back.”
“That sucks,” Braden says.
I nod. “It does.” I take another bite and look at Xander. “Hey, how did your rugby go today?”
He shrugs. “I don’t know yet. I think it went alright.”
I shift my gaze to Braden. “What about you? Do you play sport other than backyard cricket?”
Braden screws up his face. “I play in the backyard, but I hate sport otherwise.”
“Braden’s the geek of the family,” Xander says.
I shrug. “Everybody’s different.”
We eat the rest of the meal in silence before Braden looks up. “Is there more?”
Grinning, I nod toward the cooktop. “The meat’s all gone, but there are plenty of potatoes and vegetables.”
“The potatoes are great. Thanks, Hunter.”
I turn to Xander. “How about you? Want some more?”
I’m rewarded with a nod. If I hadn’t known their father so well, I might be more concerned, but Xander touches my heart in a way I didn’t anticipate because he is so much like Scott. It makes me miss his father more but makes me grateful that I can at least get to know his sons.
Both boys get up and grab a second helping.
“We’ll do the dishes, right, Xan?” Braden says.
Xander nods. “It’s just loading the dishwasher.”
“Still, I’m sure your mum will appreciate it.” I smile at them both before shovelling food into my mouth.
“What’s happening here?”
Chloe’s smile is tired, but her eyes are full of affection as she takes in the sight of the three of us.
“Hunter cooked dinner, and now we’re doing the dishes. Go back to bed, Mum,” Braden says.
She meets my gaze.
“There’s a plate for you in the fridge, Chlo. I’ll heat it up for you. It’s probably a good idea for you to have something to eat.”
Her smile grows. “I can heat it up. Thank you, Hunter.”
She crosses the room and opens the fridge.
I finish up my meal and Braden grabs my plate to put into the dishwasher. He and Xander work together, loading it up as the microwave beeps and Chloe makes her way to the table.
“This looks good,” she says.
“The boys seemed to like it. I’ll come around and cook whenever you need me to.”
She smiles, and cuts a piece of steak off, letting out a moan as she slides it into her mouth. I’m probably going to have a heart attack right here watching her eat.
“That’s so good. I might have to keep you on.”
I smile. “Glad you like it.”
“Considering I’ve cooked dinner I don’t know how many nights out of the last seventeen years, it’s nice to have a break. Most nights, anyway.”
She scoops some potato into her mouth and lets out another moan, and it sounds so hot, I’m going to have to leave at this rate before I embarrass myself.
I shift in my seat. “So, I was wondering if you wanted to go out for dinner at Darren and Meredith’s.”
“Carmichael?” she asks, as she slices another piece of steak.
I nod. “Meredith has been asking me over for dinner for ages, but I haven’t been. This time she asked about you after our disappearance from the reunion. Dinner’s on Saturday.”
Chloe gazes at me. “I need to get her number from you so I can call her.”
“I thought you might come with me. We can always leave if you get uncomfortable.”
She nods. “I’d like that.”
“Trust me. I’ll have you out of there in a heartbeat if it’s too much.”
She touches my arm, and my heart thuds. This woman has an effect on me like no other—even after all this time.
Being in her presence softens my hardness and makes me want to be better.
“I trust you. Let me know when.”
“We’re done, Mum. There’s just your plate to go,” Braden says.
“Thanks, you two.” She winks at him and then at Xander.
“Thanks for dinner, Hunter,” Xander mumbles.
“You’re welcome.”
It takes a moment for them to leave the room, and I take a deep breath. “I should get going and let you finish and get back to bed.”
“Thank you for everything. Today was a tough one,” Chloe
says.
I reach over and grasp her arm. “Anything you need, I’m right next door.”
“I appreciate that.”
Leaning forward, I peck her on the cheek. “Have a good rest. I’ll let you know about this dinner.”
She gives me a tired smile. I’m glad I could be here for her today. I hate the thought of how many days she’s been through alone. It must be that much harder to fight your way through the grief of losing a loved one when you’re by yourself.
But Chloe isn’t alone anymore.
She has me.
Nine
Chloe
I glance at Hunter.
It should feel weird being out with someone who isn’t my husband, but he makes me comfortable.
Maybe it’s because he came to my rescue when I broke down, or maybe it’s because he’s the first person I’ve ever confided in about what happened that day. And he just handled it. He didn’t tell me I was a bad person, or that I played a part in what happened.
I’m so glad Hunter’s my friend.
As we pull up to Meredith and Darren’s house, I almost have to duck my head to see the roof through the car window. At two storeys high, they’re clearly doing well for themselves.
“Ready?” Hunter asks.
I nod. “As I’ll ever be.”
He grins. “That’s my girl. Come on.”
I follow him up the driveway and to the front door. He knocks, and when Darren opens the door, he looks past Hunter and directly at me.
“Chloe. It’s so good of you to come. You had us worried the other night.”
I smile. “I’m fine. Thank you for worrying.”
He steps out to kiss me on the cheek.
“Uh, you know I’m here too, right?” Hunter laughs.
“You I can see any time.” Darren grins and shakes Hunter’s extended hand. “Come in. Meredith made a bit of a dinner party of it. I hope you’re ready.”
I exchange a glance with Hunter. From his expression, this wasn’t what he expected either, but I follow him and Darren into the house.
“Chloe.” Meredith greets me. She’s in the living room with other people I don’t recognise. I draw in a deep breath. I’ll be okay—I attended enough dinners in my life with legal people I barely knew, but it’s still a little awkward. “I’m so glad you’re here. Come and meet my friends. Chloe, this is my friend Sarah, and Russell works with Darren.”